Vikings: Valhalla is set to drop on February 25 and, with it, viewers are expecting plenty of fierce battles between the Vikings and their opponents.
Telling the story of the end of the Viking Age, Vikings: Valhalla will see the continued clash between the Christians and pagans as most of Europe is now Christianized.
However, it seems that some real-life injuries also occurred on-set while filming was underway for Netflix’s latest historical drama series.
Sam Corlett received a black eye
Sam Corlett plays the main character, Leif Eriksson, in Vikings: Valhalla and is known as the first Viking to discover America from the sagas. This was via a country the Vikings referred to as Vinland and is most likely Newfoundland and the Gulf of Saint Lawrence thanks to an archaeological discovery at L’Anse aux Meadows.
In Season 1 of Vikings: Valhalla, Leif has not quite made his way to this epic voyage as he has gotten caught up in the retaliation by fellow Vikings against the English massacre of their kin on St. Brice’s Day.
Because of this, Leif gets involved in several scuffles. Speaking to IGN, the actor described getting a black eye during filming for the Battle of Kent.
Corlett revealed that he got the injury thanks to a sword in the face. Being ever resourceful, though, the injury was not covered up and used during the scene.
However, the black eye eventually faded, and make-up then had to be used to maintain continuity through the shoot.
The injuries didn’t stop there for Corlett, though. He also had bloody knuckles that a hatchet may have caused, according to the Vikings: Valhalla showrunner, Jeb Stuart.
Frida Gustavsson was also injured during filming
Freydis Eriksdotter is known in the Viking sagas for also traveling to Vinland. However, in Season 1 of Vikings: Valhalla, she is headed to Kattegat first to enact some revenge.
Frida Gustavsson, who portrays Freydis, also spoke out about her injuries during filming for Season 1 of Vikings: Valhalla.
“I still have scars on my hands just from wrapping and this is months ago,” Gustavsson said.
“I went to the emergency room, I had my arm in a sling, I had bruises everywhere, I scarred my face, yeah.”
While this may all seem quite scary, it was assured that medics were onsite at all times, ready to assist should anyone get injured.
Season 1 of Vikings: Valhalla will premiere on Netflix on February 25, 2022.